Crib Sheet Tutorial

I've made lots of baby quilts as gifts, and while I always ask about color schemes/themes before I start making them I sometimes wonder in the back of mind if the quilt is just going to sit unused in a closet somewhere because it doesn't really go with anything else in the nursery. I recently wrote a fitted crib sheet tutorial for Kathy Miller's blog. I made 5 practice sheets before I got it just right, but the whole process made me realize how simple these things are to whip up (you can make one in an evening--you know, after the kids are in bed at 9 o'clock, and before you fall into bed yourself at midnight).

And it pretty much answers the question of whether or not the quilt will match--because you can make sure it does!

Backyarding

We spent the long weekend at home puttering around in the garden. We've been here 4 months now. When we moved here in the middle of winter the yard was a bit of a mystery to us. But with the arrival of spring the plants are revealing themselves. We've decided this year to maintain and watch to see what comes up. It's hard for me to just sit back. I have a tendency to micromanage things, but this is a lesson in patience and observation, and since we plan to be here for years and years, what's one season of forced relaxation?

Those of you who have been here before will notice the absence of the nude bather in the picture above. Thanks to my honey and 2 brothers-in-law who broke one dolly and almost broke their backs lugging her down the hill.

This is the dogwood tree that greets me when I walk out the front door.

Not sure what kind of pine tree this is, but it's really unique.

Telephone pole insulators--garden jewelry. I love how they sparkle in the sun. They're the one thing in the garden the boys aren't allowed to play with.

And marshmallow roasting, of course! Li'l Mikey was denied a stick (poor guy), and was very upset about not being allowed near the fire bowl. We gave him a marshmallow. He went for a little walk by himself and when he came back with his marshmallow on a twig, he looked absolutely victorious.

"Mikey have stick too, Mommy!"

Reverse Applique

Gimme some fabric scraps (in this case, various colors of linen and organic cotton) to play around with, and I'm happy.

This is quick and dirty reverse applique. I traced the circle onto the organic cotton, pinned it to the back of the linen, sewed around the circle three or four times, then used my applique scissors to cut out the linen so that the cotton would show through. Those applique scissors are awesome. It's amazing how closely to the stitching I can trim without accidentally cutting through it. Not sure what these will become--sachets, totes, quilt squares, pockets? Most of the fun is in making (and hoarding) them.

Handstitched quilt--check

Paint Job

All my friends in real life are sick of me going on and on about this, so I guess I just need to bore all my blog friends too. I recently tried the Fresh Aire Choice paint from Home Depot, and I love it! I'm so glad that no-VOC paints have finally gone mainstream and I don't have to pay an arm and leg for a gallon of paint. This ran around $39/gallon for the eggshell finish (a couple bucks more than what I normally pay) and it is all they say it is. No stink. Goes on great. And even though they can't color match for you, the colors they have to choose from are so beautiful, earthy, wholesome it doesn't really matter.

I--like a lot of other moms I know--do all my painting at night when the kids are in bed. When I painted the guest room, I did it with a different brand. Even though I know you're not supposed to, I painted with all the windows closed because the screens had not yet been installed, and I didn't want bugs who were attracted to the light flying into the house. It was a pewy experience that I don't wish to relive. So when I was painting the kitchen nook, I decided to try the new stuff, and now painting is my new hobby.

In case you're interested, the color I used is Terrarium.